While the annual iPhone manufacturing season typically doesn’t kick off until about June, a number of industry insiders are claiming that Apple has been working overtime this year — ahead of what’s expected to be one of the busiest iPhone season yet — by getting all of its supply chain partners, component suppliers, and production facilities ready to start development during the first few months of 2017, according to a report published Friday by DigiTimes.
“Apple has requested its chip and component suppliers start trial production, inspection and prepare inventories for the new iPhone series earlier than usual,” supply chain sources told DigiTimes. “Deliveries of chips and parts for the new models are expected to kick off in the second half of first-quarter 2017.”
The same sources also indicated that Apple has ordered “sufficient OLED panels” from Samsung Display, which would coincide just beautifully with previous rumors that Cupertino would be tapping the South Korean tech-giant to supply it with up to 100 million OLED panels. Moreover, Apple’s Far East supply chain partners — in Taiwan, specifically — will begin preparing those displays for bonding within the second part of the first quarter of 2017.
Among the rumored 5.8-inch OLED display, wireless charging, and a slew of other design and internal advancements, DigiTimes’ sources also indicated that the ‘iPhone 8’ will feature Iris Scanning capabilities — a security feature that will utilize the device’s front-facing camera and sensors to capture (scan) a user’s Iris, which will presumably act as an additional layer of security on the device much like it was on the doomed Galaxy Note 7 from Samsung.
All in all, supply chain sources indicate they are “generally optimistic” about how the ‘iPhone 8’ will be received by the public, and expect that Apple will sell quite a number of them. Further adding fuel to the fire of their optimism, sources say that Apple has been “more active” in placing chip orders for the forthcoming device, which should come to market boasting the company’s next-generation ‘A11’ SoC. Various component vendors also indicate that Apple is taking extra precautions this year, spearheading more “stringent inspection requirements” to ensure the quality of its chips, components, sensors, modules, and other important variables.
Of course, Apple’s iPhone 8 won’t be the only iPhone Cupertino will be releasing this year. Alongside the $1,000+, creme-de-la-creme flagship, Apple is also expected, according to famed analyst Ming Chi Kuo, to introduce two ’s’-model updates to its popular iPhone 7 line — an ‘iPhone 7s’ and an ‘iPhone 7s Plus’, boasting upgraded internals, camera modules, and potentially even wireless charging of their own.
Which iPhone model will you be picking up this year? Let us know in the comments!